The rating is virtually unchanged since June, but support for police Commissioner Bill Bratton sank after a Staten Island man died in custody.

Mayor Bill de Blasio is viewed positively by about half of New York voters.

Roughly half of New Yorkers approve of Mayor Bill de Blasio's job performance, a figure that has remained unchanged throughout the summer despite heightened tensions surrounding the death of a Staten Island man while in police custody, according to a new poll by Quinnipiac University.

Mr. de Blasio's support continues to be buoyed by black and Hispanic voters, according to pollsters, who surveyed 1,021 New York voters from Aug. 20 to 25. Sixty-six percent of African-Americans and 55% of Hispanics approve of the mayor; white voters are less enthusiastic, with 36% approving and 45% disapproving.

The mayor "gets positive marks on honesty, empathy and leadership. He's only so-so on most issues, except for a big plus on race relations," Quinnipiac University Poll Assistant Director Mickey Carroll said in a statement. "He's had his ups and downs over the summer, but there's almost no change in his job approval. White voters are negative; black voters are overwhelmingly positive."

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Police Commissioner Bill Bratton's approval rating has dipped to 48% from 57% last June—lower than any approval rating for Ray Kelly, his predecessor, during Mr. Kelly's 12 years in office.

Rev. Al Sharpton remains a polarizing figure in the city, with 49% approving and 40% disapproving of him. Only 20% named him as New York's most important black leader.

Voters are divided on the way the mayor is handling relations between the police and the community, as 46% approve and 44% disapprove. Race relations in the city are "generally good," voters say 50% to 41%.

Comptroller Scott Stringer has the highest approval rating of any citywide official: 55%. (Of course, 30% still don't know who Mr. Stringer is.) Public Advocate Letitia James has a 49% approval rating, while Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito has only 39%.